Teenage Rooster Behavior

[hillbilly123]

Hey folks, I have a flock of 21 SS chickens and 3 red stars, 20 hens and 4 SS roos (strait run worked out that way). Anyways, they are 17 to 18 weeks old, and for the most part doing great. Over the last couple of weeks though, the roos have started getting ornery with each other and the hens. To me it looks like the roos are trying to mate the hens, the bite them by the neck and jump on them, hehehe.

I thought it was a bit early since the hens wont lay eggs for a while yet though. Is this just how they behave as "teenage" roos, or are they being "territorial" since we have 4 of them? Will things calm down on their own eventually as they mature, or should I thin a couple out?

It doesn't seem like a huge issue for now but I'm wondering if it will get better or worse on its own vs stepping in now. The roos are all pretty friendly around people so far, no issues there. We free range them all day and they have quite alloot of space, but they all tend to stay together.

 

[teach1rusl]

I HATE that age when it comes to cockerels!!! Rough, pushy, clumsy little horn dogs is all they are. Only time will tell whether you'll need to downsize your roos or not. Obviously if they start fighting one another or overly harrassing the pullets, you're going to need to downsize. Over-stressed hens do NOT typically lay well, and I'm sure you've seen pics of the back of poor hens that are overused (bare and raw looking).
Part of your cockerels' grabbiness is their hormones, but part is also due to the competition of the other roos, everyone trying to prove to the others "they're mine!!" Next year they will have more finesse with the hens, but this year won't be pretty. If you freerange, you have a better shot of keeping all four. But if your birds are mostly kept in a run, then you'll probably want to weed out two of the cockerels...

 

[chickdoula]

I HATE that age when it comes to cockerels!!! Rough, pushy, clumsy little horn dogs is all they are. Only time will tell whether you'll need to downsize your roos or not. Obviously if they start fighting one another or overly harrassing the pullets, you're going to need to downsize. Over-stressed hens do NOT typically lay well, and I'm sure you've seen pics of the back of poor hens that are overused (bare and raw looking).
Part of your cockerels' grabbiness is their hormones, but part is also due to the competition of the other roos, everyone trying to prove to the others "they're mine!!" Next year they will have more finesse with the hens, but this year won't be pretty. If you freerange, you have a better shot of keeping all four. But if your birds are mostly kept in a run, then you'll probably want to weed out two of the cockerels...

Thank you for your post. I have 3 cockerels - one is a Delaware who is 7 months. He was younger than the girls and they put him in hes place for a bit, but he is not a great guardian and has been pretty gentle with the hens (even though they may deserve some revenge after how they treated him as first, lol!). I have two Beilfelders that are 4 1/2 months old and they are exactly as you described above. I penned the more aggressive one and things have calmed down, but I was wondering if you could tell me if its too early to tell which one will be better with the flock? Do I have to keep both until they are at least a year old to find out or can I re-home one now based on their current behavior. Barney (the Del) was not planned and he has been wonderful - he's staying. I think I only need one more and am not sure how to choose. Any expertise you can offer would be great. I pulled Bruno because he was the most violent rapist and leader of the two youngers. I at first thought Bruno would stay, but not if he continues to act as he is! Hershel was the more timid but he seems to fit in fine now, and has calmed down without Bruno's instigation. It's been two days of separation and if it continues this way, Bruno might be the one to go. Is 4 1/2 week to soon to tell????

 

[Mrs. K]

Always let the ones you don't really like go. With multiple roosters, divide and conquer. Remove one, wait a bit and let things settle, cull again. When you pull one, it does change the dynamics of the remaining ones.

Do have a plan B set up and ready to go to separate them. Most inexperienced people vastly underestimate how violent a rooster fight can be, or an attacking rooster. Often times it seems like the cockerel attacked out of no where, but sometimes inexperienced people do not pick up on the cues that an attack is imminent.

Mrs K

 

[chickdoula]

Always let the ones you don't really like go. With multiple roosters, divide and conquer. Remove one, wait a bit and let things settle, cull again. When you pull one, it does change the dynamics of the remaining ones.

Do have a plan B set up and ready to go to separate them. Most inexperienced people vastly underestimate how violent a rooster fight can be, or an attacking rooster. Often times it seems like the cockerel attacked out of no where, but sometimes inexperienced people do not pick up on the cues that an attack is imminent.

Mrs K

Always let the ones you don't really like go. With multiple roosters, divide and conquer. Remove one, wait a bit and let things settle, cull again. When you pull one, it does change the dynamics of the remaining ones.

Do have a plan B set up and ready to go to separate them. Most inexperienced people vastly underestimate how violent a rooster fight can be, or an attacking rooster. Often times it seems like the cockerel attacked out of no where, but sometimes inexperienced people do not pick up on the cues that an attack is imminent.

Mrs K

Hi Mrs K.
Thank you so much for your reply. I have two separate coops for standards. Barney is with the “first flock” of older girls (they will be a year old mid-November) and the two younger Beilfelders are with the second group of younger girls. There are 11 girls with Barney in their own coop, and 6 girls with Hershel in a separate coop, and everyone free ranges together in a fenced area (but they are free to leave the fenced area too because we have no neighbors nearby). We are in a forested area with lots of cover. They are completely “free” free range. If there ever is a fight between Barney and Hershel they both have an immense area for one or the other to run away. So far, everyone hangs out nearby during the day and Barney and one of the Beilfelders worked together to fend off a falcon that was hunting the flock (they were successful). Birds of prey the reason we wanted roosters in the first place, but never had experience with any until now.

Barney is 7 months now, and Hershel is 4 1/2 months. Do you think that they will eventually fight it out for pecking order or grow into and accept Barney as the elder and Hershel falls in line after?

I have a small broody pen that Bruno is residing in for a couple of days as I watch the dynamics shift. It actually has instantly improved over the past 48 hours, and today was blissfully peaceful for us and them. I think Bruno might be dinner tomorrow.
Very kindly,
Gina

 

[Mrs. K]

Barney is 7 months now, and Hershel is 4 1/2 months. Do you think that they will eventually fight it out for pecking order or grow into and accept Barney as the elder and Hershel falls in line after?

It can happen, and it might not. Roosters are a crap shoot, plain and simple, it works until it doesn't. IMO animal husbandry is dealing with it when it doesn't. Always solve for peace in the flock. The first time you do this, you are amazed at the difference when the tension is gone, just as you described. Often times people are not even aware of it, until it is gone.

The next time you will be more aware and it won't be as agonizing decision. For me, flock management is more than just putting birds together and feeding them. It is more than wishing they would all be nice. It is accepting that not all birds work out for me, and removing them from the flock when that happens for the best for my flock and my own enjoyment of them.

Mrs K